February 29, 2016 - WISCONSIN, UNITED STATES - Kansasville and Dover residents looking for an answer to Saturday's loud noise are still waiting for an explanation.

Described as an explosion by some and a sonic boom as others, residents
near Eagle Lake at about 5:30 p.m. Saturday started phoning 911
regarding an explosion.

The only problem? The Racine County Sheriff's Department and Kansasville Fire couldn't find anything.

"We investigated it and nothing found," said Kansasville Fire Chief Scott Remer. "We have no cause or origin.

"I heard a lot of things about 'my house shook,'" he added.

Area residents also flooded social media seeking an explanation for what
happened. On a local area 'buy, sell, trade' list on Facebook, people
referred to the noise as something "blowing up" and said the noise shook
homes.

Another person later explained there were some fireworks going off, and
called the situation "all good." However, that was about two hours after
the initial report.

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Warden Mike Hirschboeck said
ice heaves on the lake could have created a loud booming noise. - My Racine County.

February 29, 2016 - EARTH
- The following constitutes the latest reports of unusual and symbolic
animal behavior, mass die-offs, beaching and stranding of mammals, and
the appearance of rare creatures.

Dead whale found on beach in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates

The dead body of a 15-metre long whale has washed up on the beach of Al
Qarm near Kalba in the emirate of Sharjah, the Arabic newspaper Al Bayan has reported.

The carcass of the whale was 6 feet high.

The Sharjah Environment and Protected Areas Authority and the municipality of Kalba began dealing with carcass of the whale.

Witnesses said the whale was afloat since yesterday in the Gulf waters.

The Kalba Municipality provided the machines and equipment to drag the whale's body and bury it.

Environmental workers buried the remains of the whale that washed up on the beach.

The animal was buried due to foul smell. The animal is believed to have been decomposing for the past four days.

The Sharjah Environment and Protected Areas Authority sent samples of the animal to laboratories to determine its species.

"Part of the whale's tail is missing which makes us suspect that the
whale died due to collision with a ship," an environment worker told the
UAE media. - Emirates 247.

Wild wolf caught on camera for first time in Sweden

An elusive wild wolf roaming around Sweden has been caught on camera for the first time ever in the Scandinavian country.
Recorded in the rural village of Lonsboda, it's rare for such sightings at all, let alone capturing it on video.

The estimated population of Swedish wild wolves stands at just over 400,
according to Sweden's Environmental Protection Agency, but local
authorities wanted to pin down how many were roaming the lands of the
Skane region, so they set up a number of hidden cameras.

"We have also secured droppings from the wolf, which we have sent for analysis," said Skåne's wildlife officer Nils Carlsson told The Local. "Soon we shall know the wolf's gender and where it comes from."

WATCH: Wild wolf in Sweden.

This sighting comes only two weeks after two young lynx were caught on
camera roaming the woods of Blekinge in southern Sweden, and is also
seen as further proof of an increase in carnivorous animals across the
continent.

These two wild cats were also captured on hidden cameras set up by authorities.

Although considered near-extinct in the 1970s, and now protected under
European law, Swedish authorities try to maintain a set number of such
wolves across the state through regulated hunting.

In December 2015, a Swedish court ruled that a total of 14 wolves could
be killed from January 2 to February 15, 2016, while the Supreme
Administrative Court finally settles the legalities of such a hunt.

February 29, 2016 - EARTH - The following constitutes the latest reports of animal attacks on humans.

Dog owner's horror as pack of Staffordshire Bull Terrier tore into his pets and bit into their flesh

A dog owner has described the horrific moment a pack of Staffordshire Bull Terrier’s ripped into his two pets.

Steven Troy, from Stalybridge , was walking his elderly dogs Jess, 14, and Rubble, 13, at Cheetham Park on Wednesday, February 24.

Five other dogs approached on no leads and began attacking Steven’s pets, biting into their flesh.

The dogs, a mixture of Staffies and Lurcher-Staffie cross breeds, also badly bit Steven as he got on his hands and knees to protect his pets.

Steven said the dog’s owner did nothing to stop the attack and only responded by claiming he did not have a lead.

Jess, a cross breed, was left with a quarter of her neck taken off and deep wounds across her body.

Collie dog Rubble recently underwent surgery to have her stomach stitched up and also has bite marks across her body.

Steven, a business owner, reported the attack to Greater Manchester Police.

He told the M.E.N he believes the animals were bred to be ‘fighter dogs’ as they were aiming for the pooches necks.

Steven, 47, said: “All I want if for my dogs to well again. The fact that this guy breeds these dogs for specific reason is beyond me. I am an animal lover I can’t understand it.

“They entice these dogs to go and kill other animals, it is beyond belief.”

He added: “The vets have said Rubble will make a good recovery, Jess’ wounds are so serious they can’t do anything until the infection starts to go down she is very swollen up around her stomach and neck.

Rubble the dog recovers at home. Dominic Salter

“I never even thought about myself. I thought my dogs are going to get killed.

“There were two Staffies and three lurcher cross Staffies ripping my dogs to shreds. It was horrendous. I was on my hands and knees fighting them.

“When they tore the piece from her Jess’ neck they were running off with it fighting to try and get it out of each others mouths.”

A spokesman for GMP said: “The five dogs attacked the victim’s animals and the victim threw himself to the ground in a bid to protect them.

“In the process, he received a number of bite injuries to his hands and face, while his dogs also suffered significant injuries.

“The owner of the offending dogs got control of his animals and led them away. A 23-year-old man has subsequently come forward as the owner of the offending dogs and is speaking to police.

“The investigation is on-going.”

Steven’s family have since set up an online fundraising page to help Steven pay for the vets bills which are expected to cost £4,500. - Manchester Evening News.

Elephant kills mahout at trekking camp in Thailand

An enraged bull elephant stomped his mahout to death at a trekking camp in Ao Nang on Saturday.

The 12-year-old male elephant named 'Plai Sridor Nakorn' was in musth -
an annual period of heightened testosterone levels - and had been
chained up after becoming highly aggressive.

The animal killed Anantamek Thongtae, 21, when the mahout attempted to unchain him.
"According to witnesses, the elephant grabbed Mr Anantamek with
his trunk, threw him to the ground and then repeatedly stomped on him," said Lt Col Noppadol Mukda of the Krabi City Police.

The elephant had been chained up for about five days; a sign was put up warning visitors not to approach the aggressive pachyderm.

"We felt sorry for him, and he appeared to have calmed down, so
Mr Anantamek and I decided to give him a bath," said fellow mahout
Prasert Raksakij, 22. "I got on the elephant's back while Anantamek
unchained his front leg - this is when he attacked."

Mr Anantamek was pronounced dead on arrival at Krabi Hospital.

The elephant was still chained up when officers arrived on the scene.

"He was still in musth and wouldn't let anyone near him, said Col Noppadol.

A mahout was similarly trampled to death at an elephant camp in Phuket in 2014 (story here).

Plai Srido Nakorn will remain chained up until musth passes. He will then be allowed to return to work, said Col Noppadol. - Phuket Gazette.

Great white shark repeatedly attempts to bite fishing boat off New Zealand's coast

A group of fishermen off the coast of New Zealand captured video of a
hungry great white shark repeatedly trying to bite different parts of
their boat.

The video, posted to YouTube by Hamish Clarke, shows the shark swimming
around the boat and putting its mouth on different parks of the vessel
while the astonished humans look on and film it with their phones.

WATCH: Great white shark bite fishing boat off New Zealand's coast.

"It then hit its nose on the boat which made its attitude become more
aggressive," the filmer wrote online. "Eventually it then left."

The video, filmed Feb. 20 near Frenchman Island, involved the same boat and crew seen in an earlier released video showing one of the passengers reaching down to pet a passing shark on the same day. - UPI.

Two days after fatal crash, another plane goes down in Nepal, killing two

The nine passengers on board were injured when the plane went down in the district of Kalikot, said Pradeep Shrestha, the chief officer in the region.

Initial reports showed that the Air Kasthamandap plane was trying to make an emergency landing after noon because of a technical problem, said Pratap Babu Tiwari, an official at the Civil Aviation Office in Nepalganj.

Nepal passenger plane crash kills all 23 on board, last Wednesday. Most of the 19 bodies retrieved as of early Wednesday evening were
charred beyond
recognition, said Bishwa Raj Khadka, deputy police
superintendent for Myagdi district.

The plane, which was traveling to Jumla from Nepalganj, crashed in a remote area about a four-hour walk from the nearest town, Mr. Shrestha said. The Nepalese police and helicopters were sent to the crash site.

On Wednesday, 23 people were killed in a plane crash northwest of Kathmandu that the authorities attributed to harsh weather conditions, including snow, rain and fog.

The passengers were the daughters of Sultan’s girlfriend, according to a family member.

Authorities found the single-engine plane in a wooded area. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash.

Sultan’s family said he had just purchased the Cirrus SR-20.

“We lost him, but we also lost somebody who probably had children. It’s a tragedy for our country, a tragedy for our community. It’s so sad,” said Jeff Akhtar, the victim’s brother.

Akhtar visited the crash site where his brother Sultan was killed, doing what he loved.

“Last month he bought it. This month he died,” said Akhtar. “It’s just an accident. It’s nobody’s fault. I hope nobody is held responsible for that.”

The tail number of the plane is N477TC and it was registered to Air Akhtar Heating & Air Conditioning LLC in Houston.

Officials said nobody saw the plane go down and there were no calls for help from the pilot.

Investigators said about an hour after it took off from Hooks Airport in Spring, another pilot during a flight, noticed the mangled plane in the pasture.

The plane had gone a mile and a half away from the Navasota Municipal Airport.

“It would be what is called a hard crash landing. There’s debris. Large amount of debris. Don’t know why it happened. That’s what the experts will be doing. Speculation could be one thing or 20,” said Sowell.

While Akhtar, also a pilot, has many questions about what went wrong.

“This plane is capable of a parachute, I don’t know why they didn’t do it.”

He said he chooses to focus on his brother’s legacy: coming from Pakistan to live the American dream. He did just that. He owned real estate and several businesses and always put others first.

“He donated so much money to the community, to the people. Anybody wanted to go to Pakistan and didn’t have the money, he would give them $5000. It was like a piece of cake,” said Akhtar.

Plane crashes on Gainesville road, Florida

Shortly after noon Sunday a small plane crash-landed on Northeast Waldo Road, according to the Gainesville Police Department.

Police tell News4Jax the pilot of the single engine Cessna, Walter Amon, 61, reported a fire in the cockpit. Amon and a passenger were transported to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

One man who saw what happened came to the aid of the two people on board the plane. Rusty Hoffman was mowing the lawn of a nearby business when he saw the plane go down. He said his military background and training kicked in.

"There was a lot of luggage in there, so I guess they were traveling. Lot of clear containers and the lady had a couple lacerations on her legs, and a big one on her head. I just held paper towels on it and the other guy was being assisted by someone else," Hoffman said.

Hartman said he even joked with the woman on board, saying her makeup still looked good even after being in a plane crash. He said that in a terrifying time, the woman laughed, which told him she was aware of her surroundings and doing well.

The Gainesville Police Department responded shortly after, blocking off the road in all directions while investigators worked to clean up the debris and snap pictures of the damage.

“It still amazes me that the pilot was able to land this plane in the middle of a major highway for Gainesville and not hit any other cars, people, pedestrians, or buildings in the area," GPD Lt. Tscharna Senn said. "To me that is an amazing feat. But that is what happened."

"They (police) responded fast, and they blocked off as much as they could and then let the traffic through," said Hoffman.

News4Jax looked up the plane number and found that the plane is registered in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Pilot dead after plane crashes in Blue Mountains, Australia

A screen grab of the wreckage. Photo: ABC News 24

An elderly pilot has died after his plane crashed near Katoomba in the Blue Mountains on Saturday.
Police
said the man, 80, took off from Katoomba Airstrip in a light plane
about 12.15pm on Saturday and lapped the airfield several times before
flying east.

When he didn't return several hours later, a friend
contacted the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) about 5.15pm,
and the pilot was formally reported missing at 6pm.

A search and
rescue operation was launched shortly after by police, AMSA and NSW
Ambulance, which was suspended overnight and continued from 7.30am on
Sunday.
Just before 10am, the wreckage was found in bushland about 200 metres from the airstrip.

A paramedic was winched down to the crash site and the pilot was found to have died inside the aircraft.

Police have set up a crime scene at the site, which is being examined by detectives and forensic officers.

Anyone who saw the plane on Saturday is asked to contact police or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
A report will be prepared for the coroner. - SMH.

Pilot Hurt After Small Plane Crashes, Lands On Roof In Plymouth, Massachusetts

A pilot was injured following a crash at Plymouth Municipal Airport. (Image credit: Massachusetts State Police)

A small plane landed on its roof after it crashed at Plymouth Municipal Airport, injuring the pilot.

The crash, involving a small fixed-wing plane, was reported around 1:30 p.m.

One person, the pilot, was taken by medical helicopter to Brigham and Women’s Hospital after the crash.

Mikayla Ryder, a student who is taking flying lessons at the site, told WBZ-TV’s Kate Brace what she saw.

“He went up, flipped and landed on his nose and went right back,” she told WBZ. “I was scared. I didn’t know if he was OK.”

Ryder says she saw the plane at about five feet off the ground, when it went straight up 30 feet before crashing. She added that it was traveling at a good rate of speed when it appeared a wind gust picked it up.

“It was really quiet at first, and then the engines revved up as loud as they could go,” she says. “And then dead silence (before) you heard the wings snap against the ground and it just crashed.”

She says it sounded like one of the engines stalled, causing the plane to turn sideways. When she saw the pilot, Ryder said he was conscious.

Massachusetts State Police said the pilot’s injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the Beachcraft 55 Baron crashed while practicing takeoffs and landings, or touch-and-go maneuvers.

Only the pilot was on board the plane. The pilot’s name has not yet been released. - CBS.

One dead after Hong Kong plane crash

Photo: Apple Daily.

“Fire services found an unconscious man in the vicinity, and he died at 3:55 pm,” a government spokesman told AFP.

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Department said in a statement that the man who died was the pilot, and the plane was a single engine Zlin Z42.

He said the plane fell into the sea near Hong Kong’s rural Tai Po region, located in the city’s outlying New Territories.

“There was a pilot and no passengers when this incident occurred,” the spokesman said, citing information provided by the Hong Kong Aviation Club.

Police said a person fishing nearby was among those who reported the incident, while a police spokeswoman told AFP that some of the wreckage had been located.

Footage from Cable Television news showed helicopters and police boats assisting in the search and rescue operation.

“The plane had fallen into the water vertically and there was no explosion, there was a bit of oil in the water,” an eyewitness identified as Mr. Kwok told Cable News.

Footage also showed firemen fishing the body out of the water.

In October of 2013, a student pilot and an instructor survived a helicopter crash in the city’s Shek Kong Airfield. - HKFP.

A student pilot has been injured in a light aircraft crash near Peterborough.

The accident happened at the privately-owned Peterborough Business Airport at Conington shortly before midday on

Saturday, February 27.

The pilot, believed to be a man in his 40s, suffered what is thought to be a serious leg injury and a cut face, and was taken to hospital.

A spokesman for the airfield said: “The incident was simplistic enough in that a student pilot lost control on a go-around, I understand, at the end of the runway and finished up landing on the cropped field adjacent.”

The Air Accident Investigation Branch said it had deployed a team to investigate.

The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust said it was called to the crash at around 11.30am, mobilising the Magpas air ambulance and paramedics on the ground.

A spokesman said: “They treated one patient - a man in his 40s who had suffered a suspected broken leg.“He was taken by land ambulance to Peterborough City Hospital for further treatment. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. - Peterborough Telegraph.

Authorities say a small plane crashed into trees near a central
Pennsylvania airport, and the pilot was trapped for several hours but
appeared uninjured.
Adams County emergency dispatchers said the crash near the Gettysburg
airport was reported just before 12:30 p.m. Saturday. Several fire
departments and emergency units were sent to the scene, where the plane
could be seen lodged in branches.

Courtesy of 911 Photography

Courtesy of 911 Photography

The (Hanover) Evening Sun reported that the 87-year-old pilot was
stuck in the plane about 50 feet off the ground for almost four hours.
Crews applauded when he was hoisted down shortly before 4:30 p.m.
Saturday.

Russell McCutcheon of the Gettysburg Fire Department said he appeared
to be uninjured. He said officials aren’t sure whether it was taking
off or landing when it crashed into the trees. - ABC27.

February 29, 2016 - JAMAICA - The Health Ministry is reporting a second death linked to the H1N1 virus commonly called (Swine Flu).

At the same time, the number of confirmed cases is now up to 10.

Acting chief medical officer in the Health Ministry, Dr Winston De La Haye, says the second patient to have died was a 49-year-old woman who had "other complicating illnesses".

She died at the University Hospital of the West Indies on February 23.

However, De La Haye says the positive result from a test for H1N1 was received only yesterday.

The second patient to have died was a 49-year-old woman who had "other complicating illnesses".

Fifty-year-old medical doctor, Suzanna Roye, who was also admitted at the UHWI, was the first patient to die from H1N1-related issues.

In the meantime, De La Haye says Jamaica remains on high alert for a possible spread of the virus.

"What we really want to stress is persons to do the appropriate hygiene," he said.

The virus was first reported in Jamaica in early February.

Swine Flu is a category one illness which means that within 24 hours of suspecting a case of severe acute respiratory illness, medical practitioners must report it to the health authority. - Jamaica Gleaner.

Sinabung (Sumatra, Indonesia): Over the past days, activity at the volcano seems to have picked up. The
frequency and size of explosions from the summit have increased and
generated several ash plumes that rose up to approx 3 km height above
the summit.

In addition, collapses of parts of the lava lobe generated small to
moderate pyroclastic flows that traveled up to 3 km down on the ESE
side. One of them on Saturday reached again the (already mostly
destroyed and abandoned) village of Simacem on the ESE flank at only 3
km distance from the crater.

Whether this apparent increase in activity caused by and actual
increase in magma and or gas output, or simply a process of releasing
accumulated pressure and instabilities on the already emplaced lava
lobes on the steep flanks of the volcano is unclear.

For the local population, this means the long-lasting (more than 2
years now) crisis has no end in sight: the exclusion zone of 4-5 km
radius around the volcano (depending on which sector) remains in place.
More than 9500 people evacuated from villages in this risk area continue
to live in a total of 9 now semi-permanent shelters.

Dallol hydrothermal field (Ethiopia): One of our groups visited Dallol last week during our recent Danakil volcano expedition. The hydrothermal activity was observed to be very intense, with many colorful ponds and hot springs.

Expedition leader Enku reported:

"Dallol is back to its original status with every bit of the
geothermal fissures which are full of activity with gas and liquid
chemicals washed out by the hot ground water. I have never seen Dallol
like this before in my entire 12 years of Afar Depression trip."

Green and yellow salt pond at Dallol (Image: Enku Mulugheta)

Green lake at Dallol (Image: Enku Mulugheta)

Salt lake at Dallol (Image: Enku Mulugheta)

Tungurahua (Ecuador): Two moderately large explosions occurred at the volcano yesterday noon
from 12:12 local time. The first and larger explosion produced an ash
plume that rose approx. 5000 meters above the summit.

The ash plume dispersed mainly to the west and northwest where ash
fall occurred in areas including Choglontús, Pillate, Cahuaji and El
Manzano.

According to IGEPN, the eruption - which came after a 3 months
interval of quiet since last November - was most likely NOT the result
of new magma, but instead of accumulated gas pressure in the upper
conduit.

Magmatic gasses (H2O, CO2 etc) still contained in older magma
inside the conduit was being released quietly as the magma continued to
cool and crystallize, but most of these gasses were being trapped
beneath a solid plug. With time, the gas pressure increased to the
critical point: the plug gave way in yesterday's explosions.

The explosion itself, a typical so-called "vulcanian"-type eruption,
was preceded only by a short (lasting little more than an hour), but
intense seismic swarm of shallow earthquakes caused by internal fluid
movements and rock fracturing as pressurized gasses started to
disintegrate the overlying plug.

This and a similar report a few days ago indicate that
activity continues, and produces occasional moderate-sized explosions
and/or pyroclastic flows event from the active lava dome. In many cases,
cloud cover prevents visual observation of the volcano from the webcam.

Etna (Sicily, Italy):
An unusual eruptive episode occurred yesterday morning from the
volcano's NE crater (the least active of the summit vents over the past
few decades). Incandescent bombs were ejected above the rim of the
crater and an ash plume rose several hundred meters.

Whether this is
the beginning of a more significant eruptive phase, after a period of
relative calm since the violent paroxysms of Voragine summit crater in
early Dec 2015 remains to be seen.

"During the month of January 2016, Etna's eruptive activity has
maintained rather low levels. Early that month, a few weak ash emissions
occurred from the 25 November 2015 vent located high on the eastern
flank of the New Southeast Crater (NSEC) cone; similar phenomena were
repeated during the last week of January and once more on the morning of
6 February. During the same time interval, degassing from the Northeast
Crater (NEC) were sometimes accompanied by the emission of minor traces
of ash.
A field survey was carried out in Etna's summit area by
INGV-Osservatorio Etneo (INGV-OE) staff on 19 February. During the
visit, no ash emissions occurred from the summit craters, but the NEC
was the site of intense degassing from its open conduit; due to strong
wind it was not possible to hear if there was any acoustic activity
coming from the crater, which typically produces loud bangs and
rumblings. At the other summit craters, degassing was limited to
extensive fumarolic areas along the crater rims. The eruptive products
of December 2015, which fill the single huge depression constituted by
the Voragine and Bocca Nuova, were covered with snow except in the areas
where vapors were emitted from fissures formed by compaction of the
deposit.
At 03:22 UTC (=local time -1) on 23 February 2016, the video and
thermal cameras of the INGV-OE recorded an explosive event at the NEC,
which ejected incandescent pyroclastics to several tens of meters above
the crater rim (see image at top left, recorded by the high-definition
visual camera at Monte Cagliato, on the east flank of Etna - click on
image for larger version) and produced a dark ash plume that was blown
northeastward by strong wind. The images at center left (click on image
for larger version) were recorded by the high-sensitivity camera on the
Montagnola (EMOH, on the upper south flank of Etna) and also show a few
lightning flashes in the ash cloud.
The images recorded by the thermal surveillance camera at Monte
Cagliato (EMCT, see images at bottom left - click on image for larger
version) show a conspicuous anomaly generated by the explosion, which
was followed by minor ash emissions that gradually diminished; as of the
late morning of 23 February, intermittent and weak ash emissions are
continuing from the NEC." (INGV Catania)

Colima (Western Mexico):
The new lava dome in the summit crater continues to be active (and
probably is growing) as bright glow visible at night suggests.

Small emission and glow from Colima's summit crater.

Explosive activity on the other hand has decreased recently.

Reventador (Ecuador):
The eruptive activity of the volcano continues with no significant
changes, at moderate to high levels, as IGEPN reports on a daily basis.

Lava
arrives at the summit crater where small explosive activity (probably
strombolian-type) takes place. During yesterday, based on seismic data
(the volcano is mostly hidden in clouds), 56 small explosions were
registered. This morning, an ash emission was also detected by
Washington VAAC.

Cotopaxi (Ecuador): Surface activity of the volcano has been mostly low during the past
weeks, characterized by degassing / steaming and occasional very weak
ash emissions.

According to IGEPN, the level of most monitored geophysical
parameters (SO2, volcanic earthquakes, volcanic tremor, deformation)
have returned to their pre-eruption background levels.

However, the overall seismic activity of the volcano is still
elevated and some few deep-seated explosive events are being recorded
(on average 1-3 / day).

Cotopaxi volcano.

This type of activity possibly indicates that a magma source remains
active inside the edifice. The most likely scenario of the coming days
to weeks is that surface activity remains at a low level and or
continues to decrease, with intermittent small ash emissions possible
that would not affect but immediate areas surrounding the volcano.
However, even though much less likely now, an increase in internal and
external activity of the volcano cannot be excluded either.

Although not directly connected to its activity, as a secondary
effect, the risk of lahars (mud flows triggered by melt water) remains
elevated.

A woman dressed
all in black and holding what is thought to be a child's severed head
has been arrested near a metro station in Moscow.

February 29, 2016 - HUMANITY - The following stories are clear evidence that people are losing their moral values and codes, devolving and resorting to violence, when by any measure of practical utility, non-violent means would be more effective and humane.

Woman in black holding severed child's head near Moscow metro station detained

A woman dressed all in black and holding what is thought to be a child’s severed head has been arrested near a metro station in Moscow. She was shouting, “I am a terrorist,” and reportedly threatened to blow herself up.

According to LifeNews, the victim was a girl, identified as Nastya M. After the murder, the female suspect went to a metro station, where she was stopped by a local police officer. She immediately took the severed child’s head from her bag and started shouting that she had killed the child. The suspect is currently being detained by police authorities, Russian media reported.

“The end of the world is coming in a second…I’m your death,” the woman is heard shouting in the video released online. “I hate democracy. I’m a terrorist.”

She is heard shouting that she has been “cursed” and “destroyed” “so many times.”

“I'm your suicide bomber… I'm going to die in a second…The end of the world…,” she shouted.

The woman appeared near Oktyabrskoye Pole metro station in northwest Moscow.

Eyewitness Artur Manzhesov told RT he couldn’t believe that the decapitated child’s head being carried by the woman was real.

“I saw her coming out with the head in her hands. I thought, wow, it must be a replica,” he said.

The man says he heard the perpetrator shouting: “Allahu Akbar… The Russians will be hanged like this. The Russians will be slaughtered.”

The woman was dressed in black “like Muslims,” but her face was open, Manzhesov recalled.

“I thought she just went mad… When I saw the head I started shaking… I saw the child’s face and blood coming from it. It was very scary,” he said.

Russia’s Investigative Committee later released a statement that rescuers have found a body of a three or four-year-old child after extinguishing a fire in a Moscow apartment block. A preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect is a children’s nanny in her late 30s, who is a citizen of a “Central Asian country.”

WATCH: GRAPHIC - Woman waves child's head in Moscow.

The suspect waited until the child’s parents left the apartment with an older child, then killed the child and set the apartment on fire, the Investigative Committee said.

The mother of the murdered child was taken to hospital in unconscious after she learned the news, Russia’s Zvezda TV channel reported.

Earlier on Monday, reports emerged that police had found a child’s headless body while extinguishing a fire at a Moscow apartment block. The child was about three or four years old, Interfax reported, citing sources.

The woman, identified by LifeNews as Gulchekhra Bobokulova from Uzbekistan, committed the murder because of her husband’s betrayal. According to LifeNews sources, she failed to explain how the child was connected to her husband. The woman was reportedly drugged, a source in police authorities told Interfax.

People in shops near the Oktyabrskoye Pole metro station have been evacuated, TASS reported, adding that police have sealed some exits from the station.

Indian accountant drugs and kills 14 family members, then commits suicide

Indian man has wiped out his entire family, including seven children, before hanging himself. Police sources report that the assailant added a sedative to the meals, so the drugged victims would not wake up during the bloodshed.

Hasnin Anwar Warekar, 35, has brutally murdered 14 of his relatives in the Indian city of Thane, 20 miles from Mumbai, police report. The carnage is believed to have taken place overnight Sunday, when all the residents of a single-story house were asleep after a family party.

“Prima facie evidence suggests that the accused bolted all the doors of the house and murdered his family while they were asleep with a knife that we found near his body. The accused then hung himself after killing his family", said Ashutosh Dumbare, spokesman for Thane police, as cited by the Indian Express.

The attacker reportedly first killed his wife and two daughters who were sleeping on the first floor and then butchered his own parents and sisters on the ground floor.

Man killed 14 members of his family in Thane, later committed suicide (In pic: sole survivor admitted in hospital) pic.twitter.com/TAq0ExnzgF

His younger sister Subia Bharmar, 21, managed to escape the family’s gruesome fate. She survived her brother`s first attack which left her with cut upper throat and cried for help. Luckily for her, relatives residing nearby heard her shouting and rushed to help.

"One of the sisters was shouting 'Please save me.' We went there and tried to break the door but she said don't come inside as he has a knife and he might kill you too. So we ran and called the police for help," said one of the witnesses, according to IBN live news site.

The only survivor, who has been treated in a local Thane hospital for sustained injuries, has already spoken to police, but her statement shed little light on the motives of the murderer.

“As of now, she is in a shock. It is quite possible that this is an internal family matter, but it is difficult to confirm anything at this point," said Dumbare, as cited by IBN live.

“The exact cause that triggered her brother to kill her family and himself is still unclear. Our investigation is still under way,” the spokesman said.

"It is a very sad incident. Nobody knows why he killed the members but the man was a very nice guy,” commented one of the locals on the deadly incident, pointing out that the suspect “had no quarrel or fight ever."

Warekar used to work as a chartered accountant for a private company, according to police, as reported by the Indian Express. The initial probe into the case hasn`t indicated that any conflicts within the family could have triggered the killings.

However, it has been speculated in the Indian media that an argument over property issues could have led to the massacre.

‘Ax-wielding’ Palestinian in brutal attack on Israeli guard

A Palestinian has brutally attacked an Israeli security guard in a shopping mall with something that resembled an ax, a CCTV video shows. The assailant, who was a mall employee, is seen striking the father of four multiple times near an elevator.

The incident took place in Maale Adumim, an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, 7km from Jerusalem.

The suspect, later identified as 21-year-old Abu Hammad, approached the guard, Tzvika Cohen, and reportedly asked him to open the elevator door. Cohen wasn’t suspecting the attack as he knew Hammad and the pair worked together at the mall, Channel 2 reported.

Hammad attacked the guard without warning, striking him several times with a metal object that resembles an ax, as seen in security camera footage which is circulating online.

The guard is currently in serious condition at the Hadassah-University Medical Center on Mount Scopus, northern Jerusalem.Two days after the incident the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), police and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) managed to find Hammad, who is a resident of the Palestinian village of Eizariya, located near Maale Adumim.

Hammad confirmed that he “implicated himself into a terrorist attack,” the Shin Bet said, as reported by the Jerusalem Post.

Following the attack, the Israeli government moved to ban all Palestinians from Maale Adumim until Thursday, a spokesman for the settlement said, as cited by AFP. He added that about 500 Palestinian laborers are affected by the ban.

A new wave of violence between long-standing opponents Israel and Palestine erupted in October when Israel attempted to restrict access of Palestinian men to the Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City area of Jerusalem.

Since then, Israeli security forces have killed at least 168 Palestinians, 111 of whom allegedly initiated attacks. Palestinian assailants have killed 28 Israelis, as well as one US citizen.

Several children were murdered and mutilated as ‘good luck’
sacrifices in the run-up to the recent Ugandan elections, a charity has
announced. It stated that many locals believe such acts bring wealth and
power.

Six cases of mutilation and murder were reported in the lead-up to the elections, Shelin Kasozi of Kyampisi Childcare Ministries (KCM), a charity that cares for survivors of attempted child sacrifice, told Reuters.

"Child sacrifice cases are common during election time as some people believe blood sacrifices will bring wealth and power," Kasozi said.

She said the cases were reported from October to February in the districts of Ssembabule, Mukono, Buikwe and Mubende, all located in central Uganda.

Moses Binoga, coordinator of the anti-trafficking task force at the Ugandan Interior Ministry, acknowledged that children had been reported missing during the election period, but could not confirm KCM's reports. He said investigations are ongoing.

He did, however, acknowledge that seven child and six adult sacrifice cases were reported in Uganda in 2015, compared to nine child and four adult cases in 2014.

Referring to the past cases, Binoga said the mutilated bodies of children and adults had been found, some of whom had their hearts or livers ripped out. In two cases reported last year, the victims' heads were missing, he said.

In 2012, 82-year-old grandmother Hanifa Namuyanja was sentenced to 15 years in jail for taking part in the sacrifice of her granddaughter Shamim Nalwoga. The child was found with her tongue and eyes cut out and genitals mutilated.

The United Nations said last year that attacks on albino people in Africa were on the rise, linked to a growing demand from political hopefuls seeking body parts retrieved in black magic.

The February 18 election saw President Yoweri Museveni extend his 30-year rule, in a vote slammed by the US and the European Union. Ugandans also took part in municipal and parliamentary elections.

Referred to as Uganda's 'President for Life’, Museveni was described in a 2001 UN report as one of the “godfathers of the illegal exploitation of natural resources and the continuation of the conflict in the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo).”
- RT News.

Police said that attacker was driven to commit the attack by "doomsday" rumors, Xinhua said at the time. Authorities also said Min testified he was inspired by TV reports about a kindergarten killing in 2010. - CNN.

February 29, 2016 - TECHNOLOGY - Researchers have taken on the problem of reducing a super
computer the size of a basketball field to that of a book.

The answer is
“biocomputers” – incredibly powerful machines capable of performing
multiple calculations with a fraction of energy.

According to study coordinator Heiner Linke, who heads nanoscience at Lund University in Sweden, “a biocomputer requires less than one percent of the energy an electronic transistor needs to carry out one calculation step.”

A biocomputer is useful because ordinary computers are incapable of solving combinational problems, such as those dealing with cryptography or other tasks requiring that a multitude of possible solutions be considered before deciding on the optimal one.

These already exist, but the new research from Lund tackles the key problems of scalability and energy efficiency.

Parallel computers of this sort run on molecular motors that perform mechanical tasks in living cells.

Researchers used their knowledge of existing molecular motors in our bodies (such as specific molecules aiding muscle function) and considered how to apply them to other tasks.

Surprisingly, their roles can be reprised by hardware that directs proteins along its paths with the aid of such motors.

“In simple terms, it involves the building of a labyrinth of nano-based channels that have specific traffic regulations for protein filaments.

The solution in the labyrinth corresponds to the answer of a mathematical question, and many molecules can find their way through the labyrinth at the same time.”

In case you were wondering when quantum computers were going to be mentioned –here it is.

Biocomputers do use a similar approach to the above, but quantum computers use qubits, whereas the heavy lifting in biocomputers is carried out by molecules working in parallel with one another.

“The fact that molecules are very cheap and that we have now shown the biocomputer’s calculations work leads me to believe that biocomputers have the prerequisites for practical use within ten years.

Certainly, quantum computers can be more powerful in the long term, but there are considerable practical problems involved in getting them to work”, Linke adds.

The other obviously giant advantage of a biocomputer is that it “requires less than one percent the energy an electronic transistor needs” to carry out one operation.

The current study was carried out by a team of international scientists from Canada, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, and Sweden and published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

This is not the first time parallel computing has been researched and proven to work on complex problems.

The idea was conceived by Dan Nicolau, head of bioengineering at McGill. He had worked on the new study with his son, Dan Nicolau Jr., a mathematician.

The model is so far designed to tackle only one specific problem, but that is enough to set the groundwork for further research, and, according to Nicolau, biocomputers are coming our way fast. - RT.

Expert says that this could be a precursor to mega-earthquakes, and is early disaster warning system

Carbon monoxide may signal earthquake

Ramesh Singh.

Earth emits a burst of carbon monoxide (CO) a few days before an
earthquake, according to geophysicist Ramesh Singh. He and co-workers
from France and the United States report that this gas could be used as
one of the precursor signals for an earthquake early warning system.

The scientists used data from an American satellite and analysed
changes in carbon monoxide at different altitudes. "The carbon monoxide
shows enhancement in concentration a few days prior to the earthquake,"
Singh said.

Singh, who was formerly with the Indian Institute of Technology in
Kanpur, is currently in the physics department of Chapman University in
California, USA. The project was funded by the Indo-French Centre for
the Promotion of Advanced Research in New Delhi.

The researchers discovered the connection between CO emission and
earthquake by analysing satellite remote sensing data collected around
the time when a 7.6 magnitude earthquake shook Gujarat in western India
nine years ago killing about 20,000 people and rendering thousands
homeless.

Singh said that CO levels were taken by an instrument onboard NASA's
Terra satellite — launched in 2009 — circling the earth in a polar
orbit at a height of 705 km. The instrument measures CO concentrations
at different heights and also computes the total amount of the gas in a
vertical column of air above the earth surface.

Analysis of the satellite data showed a large peak in CO
concentrations during January 19 and 20 — a week before the main
earthquake event. On January 19, the total CO in the vertical column was
also higher than usual. After the 26 January earthquake the
concentration of the gas dropped.

According to the scientists, CO gas is forced out of the earth due
to the build up of stress prior to the earthquake "influencing the
hydrological regime around the epicentre."

Singh said an anomalous increase in land surface temperature a few
days prior to Gujarat earthquake — as inferred from the data of NASA's
other satellite MODIS — is also related to the CO emission.

"The
increase of column CO and concentrations of CO may have enhanced the
land surface temperature," he said.

"The anomalous changes in CO concentrations prior to the main
earthquake event and enhancement of temperature of the earth surface
observed from MODIS satellite data give an indication of coupling
between land and atmosphere," the scientists report. Singh said
observation by other researchers of a sudden increase in water vapour in
the atmosphere and changes in the ionosphere a few days prior to the
Gujarat earthquake all seem to be connected.

According to the report, all these observations including the latest
discovery of CO emission show the existence of a 'strong coupling'
between land-atmosphere-ionosphere. "The integration of all these
parameters in a seismically active region therefore looks a potential
approach to understand earthquake processes and may provide reliable
information about an impending earthquake," the researchers conclude.